This doctor was raised to believe abortion was wrong. He’s now an advocate for reproductive rights.

Raised as a religious evangelical in the Deep South, Willie Parker had a straightforward view of abortion. He thought it was wrong. Then he went to medical school and became an obstetrician-gynecologist.

It still took years before he came to realize why some women might be offended by men legislating what happens with their reproductive organs.

Parker, now 55, went on to become medical director for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington from 2008 to 2013. And he wrote a book, “Life’s Work: A Moral Argument for Choice,” which was published last year. In the nation’s ongoing fight over abortion — the Supreme Court heard arguments in yet another “pregnancy clinic” case just last week — Parker has emerged as a uniquely powerful advocate for women’s health care. The continued threat to abortion rights is why he’s speaking out yet again.